Wealthy History
by FictionalFantasy
Summary: After narrowly escaping the fall of Ubar, Marlowe and Talbot begin to reminisce the past 20 years of searching for what had just been destroyed. But with old memories resurfacing, new truths are discovered and old wounds are re-opened. {Marlowe/Sully, Marlowe/Talbot ships}
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So this is the introductory chapter of my first multi-chapter fic which will explore the history of Marlowe and Talbot, because it's pretty damn vague in the game! This will be my take on their past and how they came to meet, also I'll be delving a bit deeper into Marlowe and Sully's 'relationship', how that changed after Nate came into the equation and I'll even be hinting at early Tallowe, because we all know there's something there. Now this fic MAY have some explicit sexual content in later chapters but said content will be placed into separate chapters so those who do not wish to read it can skip ahead as I know some readers find that sort of content uncomfortable to read, despite having some gorgeous characters 'getting busy' in this case. Ahem, anyway... moving along!**

**Basically this first chapter is set post Uncharted 3, but obviously in my own little world where they both survive the collapse of the city. This immense loss, as well as near-death experience causes them to reflect on their partnership. I hope you enjoy and I'll try to post updates as soon as I can!**

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><p>With the sinking of Ubar- Iram of the Pillars and 20 years of searching wasted, Marlowe and Talbot made their way back to London with a more than a deflated air about them. Marlowe aspired to harness the power of the Djinn but when she had that taken away from her through the meddling of Sullivan and his 'stray'- Nathan Drake, she became much more frightening to the remaining men within the organisation who survived. She hated losing but she hated Sullivan winning even more and that only made her scowl even more deadly to those who crossed the wrong side of her.<p>

Once Talbot and Marlowe had left the airport upon their arrival back in England, the black Jaguar was waiting to escort them back to the estate. Talbot wanted to speak up but as he looked over at his superior, leaning on one side with her arms folded across her chest and a glare etched into her mature features, he could instantly tell that it would be a regrettable mistake. The way she briskly strode towards the car and climbed in without saying a word to the driver was enough of a warning that she was very, very angry. Talbot has known Marlowe for almost 20 years and he knows that she isn't the type of woman who screams and yells when she's angry and he knows her well enough to know when she wants to be left alone. The silent car journey was a signifier of that.

Upon reaching the estate and the doors being opened to invite the two inside, Marlowe let out a weary sigh as she removed her leather jacket and shoved it into the hands of the doorman without a second glance. She crossed the foyer and with a flick of her wrist, she summoned Talbot to follow her up the stairs- which he obediently did so. "Twenty years of work- wasted!" She hissed the words as Talbot fell into stride with her half way up the staircase. "I had the ring, the vessel was within reach and success would have been ours!" She came to a stop at the top of the stairs, her hand gripped the edge of the banister tightly. "But it just slipped through our fingers like the sand in that damn desert…" She held out her hand and outstretched her fingers to mirror her words as she began to brood.

Talbot knew that despite her use of particular pronouns, she was blaming herself for their failures and the loss of the ring. He knew that Marlowe couldn't tolerate any sort of failure, especially when it was her own. "It can't be helped when they interfere Marlowe but at least we both made it out of the city alive… and I would rather lose the vessel and have to start again with something else than lose you." He spoke his words with such sincerity as he placed his hand on Marlowe's arm that was resting on the banister and he could feel her relax slightly.

As she turned to face him, their eyes met for a moment and Talbot's lips tugged into a small smile when he gazed into Marlowe's glistening emerald eyes. The two just stood in silence for the briefest of moments before Marlowe continued on her walk towards her bedroom as if Talbot had said nothing. He knew that she wasn't a very sentimental person so for her to disregard such things wasn't uncommon.

Talbot followed her into the impressive room but as she headed towards her en-suite, he decided to wait by the door, which she had left open. Marlowe approached the mirror in her bathroom and she began to inspect the wound on her cheek properly. It was still mildly bleeding from when she lost her balance as the city collapsed and it needed to be cleaned to prevent infection. She hissed in pain as she probed it a little, Talbot could see her expression in the mirror and he slowly entered the bathroom. "I can tend to that for you…" He offered as he stood behind her, he wanted to make himself useful while he was in her presence.

Marlowe's eyes met his in the reflection and she lowered her hands from her face to silently accept his help. Talbot understood and he grabbed the flannel draped over the side of the sink and he dampened it slightly as Marlowe went back to the bedroom and perched herself on her bed to wait for Talbot. She occasionally casted a glance towards him as he prepped and she sat in quiet contemplation.

He returned to her with the wet flannel in one hand and a small, dry towel in the other and he had rolled up his shirt sleeves. He knelt down in front of Marlowe and he gently placed his hand under her chin to tilt her head up slightly. Normally she would have issues with someone touching her in any regard but with Talbot she didn't often oppose, she merely complied with his gesture as she watched him slowly raise the flannel to her cheek. "It may sting a little…" He spoke softly with his charming British accent which somehow always seemed to sooth Marlowe when she was agitated.

She merely nodded in response to his statement and exhaled heavily as she waited for him to start. Marlowe has endured a lot of pain in her time so a mild sting from a scrape was nothing. Talbot, however, was still being delicate as he gently dabbed the blood from the wound and cleansed any dirt or sand that might've gotten into the cut. His other hand remained under her chin with his thumb gently pressing against her soft skin as he silently tended to her with great care.

Marlowe was studying Talbot's actions closely, she kept glancing down at him as he worked. His eyes never met her chaste gazes as he was too focussed on making sure that she was all right and the fact that he didn't notice her looking at him made her smile, albeit only slightly. "You've done a lot for me, Talbot… You're a good man."

Her words, spoken with such a casual elegance, had taken Talbot by surprise and he stopped dabbing at the cut to look at her. She was still as prim and composed as ever, like the words were just words. Maybe they were to her, but to him they struck a chord. "I'm just doing my job…" He attempted to speak with such nonchalance as Marlowe, he just wasn't sure if it was coming across as well as he'd hoped.

"No, your job is to aid in the succession of this organisation but you go beyond that and… I'm grateful." Marlowe's maternal, sweet tone surfaced as she smiled more fondly at the man before her. "I'm not sure where this organisation would be without your dedication… or where I'd be without you. Probably not here right now in any case."

"Don't…!" Talbot's voice was a little sharp and demanding as he couldn't help but think of the horrifying possibility of actually losing Marlowe in Ubar, but he cleared his throat and composed himself "Don't speak like that, please." He sighed and lowered his hands from the older woman's face and placed them in his lap, he was expecting to get an earful for his outburst.

"Do you remember how we met, Talbot?"

As he looked up at her face, he couldn't detect any signs of anger and he had to spend a moment to prepare a verbal response. "I…. yes, of course I do Marlowe."

"And did you honestly think that things would have worked out the same way if you were anyone else?" She arched an inquisitive eyebrow as she asked the question in such a manner that gave the impression she already knew his answer.

"I haven't really thought about it before…" Talbot muttered as he lowered his head, not wanting to meet Marlowe's all-knowing eyes any longer.

"Liar." She spoke the word so sternly and confidently that is was a wonder why she even asked the question in the first place but Talbot knew why. He always knew. It was her way of making someone think about their answer and it most certainly made Talbot think.

Marlowe patted the side of the bed to gesture for Talbot to join her and he obediently did so. He perched himself on the edge, next to Marlowe but not too close to her as he knew that she liked her space. "Talbot, what happened all those years ago happened because I knew what you were capable of; I knew that you would be an asset… and I clearly wasn't wrong."


	2. Chapter 2

**20 years ago…**

A good criminal studies his target before committing the crime. Tonight the target was the museum; the item of interest- T. E Lawrence's diary. The diary is located on the second floor, the museum closed at 9pm and the guard made his first round of the second floor at 10:30pm, his next being at 1am. Security cameras in the room and immediate corridors were hacked and the lock for the case was picked using the most efficient gadgets. Everything was falling into place for the thief but there was one thing that even a master criminal wouldn't expect and it came in a feminine form.

"Ah-ah, I wouldn't lay a finger on that book if I were you…" The silky tone of a classy British female filled the stillness of the air which caused the thief to pause after he had opened the case.

"And why wouldn't I?" The young man also had quite a suave, sophisticated tone to his own accent. He clearly knew how to present himself, as his posture suggested when he turned to face his opposition.

His dark eyes met the woman who approached him with such elegant strides, her small black heels clicked rhythmically on the floor with each step that her slender legs took. She wore black business attire which most definitely showed off her assets- a pencil skirt and a blazer, hardly suitable for late night robbery the thief assumed, but little did he know that she wasn't a conventional criminal. She had henchmen to do the heavy lifting and as she neared the man, two of them entered through the doorway as if on cue. "Because that book belongs to me and I'm merely here to take it back." The nonchalant shrug of her shoulders juxtaposed with the sinister gleam in her green eyes, but both her movements and her looks had the man captivated. This woman, this blonde bombshell of a woman, was the devil in heels and if she was going to be the death of him- a beautiful death it would be.

He eyed both of the henchmen armed with their AK-47's and the woman herself had drawn a Para-9 and aimed it at him. He too had a handgun which he, in turn, pointed at her as they each took steps closer to the other. "There's no possible way that the book could rightfully belong to you unless you're Lawrence's descendent or…" the man trailed off in thought, his eyes looked the woman up and down before meeting hers.

"Or…?" She arched an eyebrow with a confident smirk across her lips. Her heels had made her almost the same height as him so she was able to see him thinking, watch him work it all out right in front of her. She could read his expressions as if they were a book and she knew that he knew who she really was.

"Or you're part of Elizabeth's secret order in pursuit of Ubar, only 400 years later? You're after what's in the diary, not the book itself!" The man concluded and as his opponent's lips only tugged into a wider smirk, it was clear that he was right.

"You know your stuff, boy." She spoke down to him as if he was inferior. She closed the gap between them with her gun pressed under his chin. "I'm impressed."

"Should I take that as a compliment?" Her attempt at belittling him didn't falter his arrogant charm as he had his gun aimed at her in a similar fashion.

"A delinquent like you should take it as a second chance- don't make me change my mind about not shooting you as soon as I walked in the room." She glared at the young man, he couldn't be much older than 22 or 23 and to talk so rudely to someone older and of higher stature was disgraceful.

"Why didn't you?" He asked the female mere inches from him, evidently personal space was not a concept that she much cared for.

"You were after the book, I had to know why. And now… I have a proposition for you." The woman spoke with such charm in her voice, her mature features still showing a glimmer of malice which had the young man transfixed.

"And what would this proposition be?" He asked. He wasn't expecting her to offer something so formally after threatening to shoot him only moments earlier. He wasn't too sure whether this was just a distraction or whether she genuinely had an interest in him. His eyes kept glancing to the two henchmen just in case they were going to pull something shifty.

"You give me the book and we could work on this little 'project' together?" She spoke in such a casual manner, although her gun was still aimed at him and they both remained standing in very close proximity.

"I'm not quite sure I understand what you mean by this 'project', Miss…?" He trailed off, allowing her to introduce herself, he at least wanted to know the blonde beauty's name before he would even consider working for her. Small talk would also provide him with more time to conjure up an escape plan if needs must.

"Marlowe, Katherine Marlowe. And you, boy, know more than you're letting on. You can't fool me so easily." As she addressed him, Marlowe pressed the barrel of her gun against his jaw, another gesture of belittlement.

"Talbot."

"Pardon?"

"My name- it's Talbot, so you don't have to keep calling me 'boy'."

"Well… Talbot, I'm assuming that you know so much about the book because you have a certain interest in its contents as well and if you work for me then I may be able to help you out with that. There's no way that you'll find and travel to the city on your own."

Talbot considered her words for a moment but she could be saying one thing to him and intend on something completely different. It's true, Talbot knew a fair bit of information on T.E Lawrence, the secret occult order and about Ubar but as to whether or not he'd be willing to share said information remains to be seen. If Marlowe is a member of the cult, then she would be skilled in methods of intimidation, deception and psychological attack which Talbot wasn't going to take lightly.

"I think I'll pass…" Talbot said the words but deep down, he was still considering the offer, only marginally. How could he trust a woman he'd only just met? On the other hand if she was telling the truth and she wanted to ally with him, then he would be a part of the occult that would soon find Ubar and become all-powerful. Now he did like the sound of that…

"You say that but you don't mean it." Marlowe's voice was stern, yet confident and her green eyes met Talbot's in an intense and piercing gaze. "Tell you what, I'll leave you to think about it tonight and I'm sure you'll make the _right_ decision tomorrow."

The way she emphasised the word made Talbot ponder why she did so but he didn't have long to think as his train of thought was broken by Marlowe snaking her arm around his neck and pulling him close until their lips met in a fiery kiss- completely dominated by her. The way her body was firmly against his and her leg slowly lifted to hook around his made Talbot more than a little eager to respond. In fact he was so overwhelmed that he just carelessly dropped his gun to the floor so his hands could explore Marlowe's tempting body.

As she had lifted her leg, her skirt exposed more of her sender thigh and Talbot's hand slowly began to caress the smooth skin on display before he bravely allowed his hand to wander to her backside to force her hips securely against his. His other hand managed to sneak its way up her torso and as he cupped her breast, he earned a very seductive moan from the woman's lips. But his handiwork was cut short immediately after as he felt something sharp pierce into his leg which caused his body to tense.

His eyes locked onto Marlowe's as she slowly took a step back from him with a sinister grin across her lips. In her hand was an empty syringe, she had just injected him with goodness knows what and it made him lose control of his legs, causing him to fall to his knees. He opened his mouth to speak and was instantly cut off by her.

"I'm sorry Talbot…" She began in a bittersweet tone as she bent down to his eye-level "but I had to make sure that you were telling me the truth." Talbot gritted his teeth and attempted to say something but Marlowe continued nonetheless. "Don't worry, it isn't poison. All it will do is make you black out for a while and you can use that time to really think about my offer." Marlowe was, of course, being vague with her description of the drug as she spoke casually as if it were nothing. She placed her hand under his chin and leaned close to him, her face only inches away from his. "You have two choices when you wake up- either go home like nothing ever happened or you can meet me at the King's Arms tomorrow night and we can discuss business. It's all about what you decide to remember when you wake up…" She patted his cheek gently as he began to feel weak and drained. "Until then…" She said before rising to her feet and grabbing the book from the display case.

Talbot tried to get up and pursue her but his knees shook as he attempted to stand so, consequently, he collapsed to the floor. He could barely crawl after her as she left the room. Thoughts in his mind were scattering into a mess. Logical thought seemed to have just vanished as only particular elements kept bombarding him- his want for power, his want for succession and his want for the woman offering both to him. Every other thought just seemed irrelevant. He had seconds left before he would pass out, his eyes were getting heavy and his vision was blurring. The room began to spin before his body gave up the seemingly impossible pursuit.

The last sight Talbot saw before he blacked out was the enchanting silhouette of pure temptation as she slinked away into the night.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Chapter updates are going to be a bit sporadic from now on as I have university work to do again and I do apologise for that. I'll also only post any further A/N's at the start of chapters for important info, like this one, or a warning for an M rated chapter. Hope you're all enjoying the enigma so far!**

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><p>Coldness pressed against his cheek as Talbot slowly regained consciousness. His eyes fluttered open and the colours that he saw began to form objects. It took him a few moments to gain his bearings and lift his head from the tiled floor of the museum. He glanced over at the display case and noticed that the book was missing. "Shit…" He wasn't sure how long he was unconscious for but he knew he didn't have much time to waste dwelling on what happened.<p>

With a quick glance at his watch the time read 00:45 and he decided that he should make his departure before the security guard would make his second round- he didn't want to risk getting caught, especially after not even taking the book. He swiftly gathered his things and fled towards his pre-planned exit route, avoiding any security along the way. He had memorised the positions of the cameras that he had scrambled and used the same corridors as he had to enter the museum for his escape.

Once outside, he made for the alleys and stayed in the shadows where possible whilst attempting to remain stealthy in his minorly dazed state. His mind began to wander while he was making his way home, the main question on his mind was how he could let someone else get the book before him, if that's what even happened in the first place. He had been unconscious for a considerable amount of time so he was completely clueless as to what happened while he was out cold. But as he pondered this, a sudden memory came back to him and it made him stop dead in his tracks. "That woman… Marlowe." He remembered a blonde woman showing up and saying how the book belonged to her, at least he thinks she was real. Maybe he was concussed and was just imagining her, he couldn't be sure in his current woozy condition. He was just pretty certain that a woman confronted him at some point while he was in the museum.

He began to retrace his thoughts back to the 'encounter' with Marlowe to try and piece together the events and answer his own questions. As he continued on his way home, he remembered Marlowe saying something about Iram of the Pillars and that she knew he was after the same thing. On the other hand, if she was a figment of his imagination, then of course she would know that he was after immeasurable wealth and the power of the Djinn… for now though, he was just assuming that she was real and so was the cult that she claimed to be a part of. But he then realised the truth as it was all in her name- Marlowe. She has to be the descendent of Christopher Marlowe who was a part of Elizabeth's secret order 400 years ago! It all made sense- after all, it was a _secret_ order, so for all anyone knew it could still be operating today and Marlowe could very well be the cult's leader. But Talbot couldn't just coast by on assumptions, he needed answers and he felt compelled to go to the King's Arms tomorrow night and if he was lucky, then he'd find Marlowe there too.

When he woke up the following morning, Talbot went about the day as usual but with one extra thought on his mind- Marlowe. Every so often his mind would wander and he would just… think about her- what she said, what she looked like, what she did. She truly was an enchanting enigma but as the evening drew nearer, he became increasingly more nervous to meet with her.

He waited until 8pm before he eventually plucked up the courage to set off to the King's Arms in one of London's 'darker' areas. It wasn't a conventional pub- it was a secret criminal's pub but most people just considered it to be a tough-person meeting establishment and nothing more, so it created the perfect disguise for illegal deals from within the British underworld. It made sense for Marlowe to want to meet him here, he only hoped that she was true to her word.

Upon arrival, Talbot encountered many men whom he had never seen before and was slightly intimidated by them. He was hardly a muscular man, Talbot relied more on his brain power than his muscle power but that didn't put his mind any more at ease. As he weaved in between the brawny men and made his way to the bar, a familiar feminine form caught his attention. "That has to be her…" He muttered under his breath as his eyes tracked the woman from behind. She was blonde and wearing a short, navy cocktail dress that showed off her figure generously but Talbot couldn't be completely sure that she was the woman he was looking for until he spoke to her-

"Ah Talbot, I knew you'd show up."

-Or, until _she_ spoke to _him_. Well, at least that answered his question so he joined her at the bar, feeling slightly less anxious. That was before he laid his eyes upon her made-up features and her body generously framed by the figure-hugging dress, she truly was even more breath-taking than the night before but at least this time he knew that she was real.

Talbot awkwardly cleared his throat upon realising that he hadn't said anything in response to her and the pair had been silent for the past, very uncomfortable, half minute. "Um, yes… well, I just wanted to get some answers."

"To get answers, you first have to ask questions…" Marlowe purred in her well-spoken English accent as she picked up her glass and slinked away towards a booth with Talbot following behind her. "And you won't be asking any questions until I'm finished." She glanced over her shoulder to him to make sure that he was keeping up, a somewhat sinister smile played across her lips.

"Right…" Talbot walked behind Marlowe to the booth and took the seat opposite her. He wasn't too sure what she wanted to ask him or why he was so nervous but there was no sense in backing out now.

"You came here for a reason…" She began as her bright green eyes studied the young man's features in an almost invasive scrutiny.

"Of course I did…" Talbot responded as he scratched at the back of his neck awkwardly, he could almost feel her gaze burning right through him. "You told me to come here."

This response caused a smirk to tug at the corner of her lips. "Yes I did and it must have held some significance for you to remember it." Marlowe took a sip of her red wine to allow Talbot a moment to think carefully about her words. As he looked at her with confusion, Marlowe arched her eyebrows inquisitively, her painted red lips still curved into a smirk, before she set her glass back down. "I gave you the choice." She stated in an omniscient manner with a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders before her eyes set on his and she leaned in a little closer to him. "Now, you want to know more about the secret order and who I am but I want to know your knowledge of the book and of Ubar, so as you can see we can arrange something fair here –you give me the information that I need and I give you the information that you need."

"No offence ma'am, but how can I trust you?" Talbot asked the mature woman as his dark eyes looked over her composure once more.

"Well, you trusted me enough to come here didn't you?" Marlowe spoke with such a silky softness in her voice as her eyes fixed on Talbot's. "You're also unarmed which suggests that you believe I won't hurt you. Surely that's some level of trust, is it not?" Her tone became slightly more stern but still maintained that British, maternal softness. She knew that she was right but she didn't want to scare off the young man.

"I suppose you're right…" Talbot absentmindedly ran his finger along the edge of a coaster as he pondered on trusting her word. He debated with himself for a few moments and the look in Marlowe's eyes told him that she knew he was thinking too. He admitted, he was curious about this organisation and if he helped her then he'd secure himself a job. He glanced at her and offered a boyish smile that seemed rather suiting for his youthful features and fluffy hair but, behind that boyish charm hid the darkness of a criminal that had been waiting for such an opportunity to strike. "So, Ms Marlowe, what do you want to know?"


	4. Chapter 4

The evening was progressing nicely so far and Talbot began to tell Marlowe all he knew about T. E. Lawrence and of Iram of the Pillars, including how he came across the diary. The two of them each had a vast knowledge of the subject and were simply exchanging information to expand the other's understanding. The only aspect that Talbot had been avoiding to tell her about was what made him want to seek out the lost city, and besides, she hadn't asked about it yet so there was no need to give her information that she hadn't asked for, he didn't want to be too generous.

While they were getting to know each other, a moustached man in a distinctly bright shirt entered the pub and Marlowe's attention was immediately drawn to him, which caused Talbot to stop his explanation. He followed Marlowe's gaze and glanced over his shoulder to the bar. "Do you know him?" He asked with a nod of his head in the general direction of the man.

"That's putting it lightly." Marlowe said as she traced her finger around the rim of her glass, creating a faint humming sound. "Our history is far more colourful than the mere black and white of simply knowing a man or not."

"So… not the best history, I take it?" Talbot enquired, admittedly he was rather curious.

"That's one way of phrasing it, yes…" The way that her lips curved into the smile of a Cheshire cat and her eyes gleamed with a sinister glow of malevolence suggested that she had a plan. "And that's why I asked you to meet me here tonight."

"Pardon?" Talbot was taken by surprise at her statement. She planned this?

"I knew that he was interested in a certain client who happens to be having a 'business call' here tonight. I arranged our meeting to overlap his in order to pry information from him." Marlowe took a small glass tube of liquid from her purse and presented it to Talbot, who still looked rather puzzled.

"You want me to drug him?"

"If needs must, then yes."

"And you expected me to agree just like that?"

"You _chose_ to come here… Perhaps to join my organisation in search of Iram?" She already knew that he had an interest in the organisation but she was reinforcing his interest to tip the scales in her favour. "So just consider this to be a little test to see whether you're up to the challenge."

"Haven't I proven myself enough by telling you all that I know? I don't want to risk getting caught committing a crime for a woman that I barely know." Talbot did very much like the thought of working for Marlowe's organisation, especially if it involved close work with the woman herself, but he wasn't going to be played like a fool.

"Oh Talbot…" Marlowe spoke softly, but her tone was mildly patronising as a form of belittlement. "… so young and naïve- just simply telling me what you know isn't enough. I need to see how loyal you are and by doing that you have to trust me when I say that it won't kill him and you won't get in any trouble _if_ you're professional. But, if you don't trust me then you can leave right now and forget about your chances of finding Iram. Your choice." She held the glass tube out to Talbot, waiting for his response.

Talbot thought about Marlowe's words carefully, he wanted to get to Iram and he wanted the power of the Djinn just as much as she did and he knew that she knew that. Perhaps working for such an elite will heighten his own skills and he might increase his own notoriety by being associated with a classy aristocrat. He also had no reason to distrust her as she hasn't deceived him yet. After much thought, he took the bottle from her hand and tucked it in his inside blazer pocket. "Just give me a signal for when you need me."

Marlowe didn't need to verbally respond, she merely smirked and rose from her seat to make her way over to her mark. She walked over with such confidence and grace as slipped in between two gentlemen and found a place at the bar. She made sure that she had positioned herself so that she was in the moustached man's sights and that he would 'see' her first.

To Talbot's amazement, he watched the other man approach Marlowe just like she had planned. He observed the way that the two of them spoke, there was obvious tension between them but they both seemed to handle it in a professional manner. While young Talbot sat and watched, he couldn't help but feel something burning in his stomach as he looked at the other man and how he gently placed his hand on Marlowe's arm. Was it jealousy? Was it spite? He couldn't quite place his finger on it, or why he felt such a thing in regards to a woman that he only met last night but if this other man had or would hurt Marlowe then he wouldn't hesitate to take action.

"I'm surprised you didn't bring that filthy beggar with you, _Mr Sullivan_." Marlowe spoke with venom in her tone as she folded her arms and rested them on the bar. After their exchange of 'pleasantries', the discussion soon took a sour turn.

"I know better than to bring him here." He scowled as he took in an inhalation from his cigar. "Besides, he'd hardly be thrilled to see you again."

"The feeling's mutual…" With an angered grumble, Marlowe took a sip from her glass. Sully chuckled dryly as he rested his arm on the bar and looked at Marlowe in a more casual stance. "What's so funny?" She took mild offense in the fact that he could just laugh about it.

"You never seem to change..." He arched an eyebrow playfully when he caught Marlowe silently questioning him with her emerald gaze. "When you try to suppress your anger, you pout and it's actually quite cute." He raised his cigar holding hand at her to emphasise his point "…given how terrifying you are when you _actually get_ angry."

"Victor… trying to butter me up with compliments won't change how we left things back in Cartagena." She waved a dismissive hand his way and while doing so, she used her other hand to gesture to Talbot to make his move.

"I don't doubt that for a second, given your stubbornness." Sully laughed and set his cigar against the ashtray. Marlowe's rouge lips curved into a smirk as she and Sully exchanged bittersweet banter and back-handed compliments.

Talbot meanwhile weaved his way through the various people of Britain's underworld and found a place at the bar to order a refill. With Sully too busy talking to Marlowe, Talbot swiftly and subtly took the glass tube from his pocket and poured the liquid into Sully's drink before taking his own pint back to the booth.

Marlowe had managed to keep an eye on Talbot's movements as he spiked Sully's drink while being able to keep their conversation focussed on the topic of six months ago. She wanted to go about her plan carefully by not bringing up the subject out of the blue otherwise Sully could become wise to her tricks, even in a drug-induced state, and she didn't want to risk that. Luckily the topic had been the main focus of the conversation from the start so she had no problems there.

Talbot and Marlowe exchanged a look of silent confirmation that the deed was done, Marlowe had clearly put her trust in the right person, the drugs also helped a little- not that Talbot needed to know that. She was satisfied with herself; she could see great potential in Talbot and she would help him grow to be a worthy successor.

Sully took a sip of his drink and sighed "You know, I've broken a lot of rules working for you- some have been _so_ worth it—"

"Like sleeping with me and dating me for starters." Marlowe interrupted with a smirk as she listed the broken rules in a rather casual manner.

"Yeah, like those… but one thing that I never did was ask you what you needed the ring and decoder for. Most clients are either after things they can sell or things they can have on display and brag about but I know that's not your style and the two items are clearly linked." Sully leaned against the bar as he drank a mouthful of his beer. He remembered Nate telling him about plundered treasure but he just didn't know what the ring and decoder had to do with it or whether Marlowe knew the same details about Sir Francis Drake's voyage.

"Let's just say that I have a keen interest in history…" Marlowe responded in an enigmatic manner as Sully turned his head to look at her again.

"Still as vague and mysterious as ever." He chuckled and took another gulp of his beer.

"One of the things that drew you to me." Marlowe spoke with confidence. All of this flirting could prove to be useful to her as well.

"Like a moth to a flame." Sully agreed with a light laugh. "But that wasn't the only thing, you know…" As he looked at the elegant woman before him, his dark eyes took in her composure.

"Oh I'm fully aware." She rested her chin on her hand as she allowed Sully to eye her up and down. Marlowe had deliberately chosen a form-fitting dress that showed off her assets in a classy and dignified way. She knew that Sully could never resist her. With him being under the influence of the drugs as well, the next part of her plan should be relatively easy. "How about we take this conversation somewhere more private?" She whispered in a silky tone.

"Why Katherine, I thought you'd never ask." Sully smirked, enjoying the flirtatious route that their discussion was now taking. He was one of the few who could address her by her first name and he was surprised that she still allowed him to. They may have called off their business partnership half a year ago, as well as their intimate relationship, but Sully was more than happy to rekindle past passions.

The pub had a separate room that could be used for more personal business meetings amongst the dastardly and cunning and Marlowe just so happened to know that the room was free. If she could lead a drug-induced Sully on then she might be able to pick his brain for information even easier than she had initially planned.

Meanwhile, Talbot curiously watched on back from the booth. He was unsure whether or not he should be following Marlowe and Sully across the room. She had never explained the plan to him in great detail but, as the door to the meeting room closed behind them, he was given his answer. All he had to do now was wait.


End file.
